by Eric Prisbell and Rachel Axon , USA TODAY Sports

by Eric Prisbell and Rachel Axon , USA TODAY Sports

North Carolina coach Roy Williams has discussed suspending his leading scorer following an offseason arrest, but Williams said in a statement released on Monday that any action against guard P.J. Hairston will come after the legal process is complete.

Calling recent revelations that came to light in media reports "disturbing" and "embarrassing," Williams stated that Hairston has acknowledged "serious mistakes."

Hairston, the Tar Heels' leading scorer last season, was arrested on June 5 on charges of possessing marijuana and driving without a license. Since then, USA TODAY Sports first reported that he is tied to convicted felon Haydn Thomas by two Hertz rental vehicles, including the one he was arrested in.

"I initially decided not to make a statement about PJ (Hairston) until the legal process had been finalized. I believe that is the fair way that everyone should be treated and is the way of our country," Williams said in a statement released on the university's athletics website.

"PJ and I have had several discussions already and he knows he has made serious mistakes and there will be serious consequences as a result.Certainly the idea of suspending PJ has been discussed. However, he is not currently enrolled in summer school, is not practicing with the team and we have no games until November. There are several options available in terms of discipline but we are going to wait until the process is complete to decide on those options."

Hairston's June arrest came as he was driving a GMC Yukon rented by Thomas, 39. Hairston, 20, was stopped by Durham police at a license checkpoint. According to the police report, a 9-millimeter handgun and a magazine with nine rounds of ammunition were found outside the vehicle and seized during the traffic stop.

Neither Hairston nor the two other passengers in the vehicle â?? Miykael Faulcon, 20, and Carlos Sanford, 23, both of Durham â?? faces charges related to the gun.

The News & Observer in Raleigh reported Friday that Hairston admitted to borrowing the Yukon from Thomas to drive to Atlanta for the weekend.The newspaper confirmed the details in a lengthy narrative statement in part of the police report with an unnamed source in the Durham police department.

Thomas previously told USA TODAY Sports that he did not know Hairston, saying that he rented the vehicle for himself and loaned it to Faulcon to go the store.

USA TODAY Sports first reported last week that Hairston received a speeding ticket on May 13 while driving a 2012 Camaro SS rented by Catinia Farrington, a woman who shares a Durham address with Thomas. Between February and May, four Hertz rental vehicles tied to Thomas have received nine unpaid parking citations on UNC's campus.

The four vehicles â?? a 2012 GMC Yukon, a 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe, a 2013 Mercedes Benz 350 and the Camaro â?? were rented by Thomas or Farrington from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

"Other issues have been written about recently that are disturbing and bother me deeply," Williams said in his statement. "Our basketball program is based on great ideals and these issues are embarrassing. These are not common in my 10 years as head coach at UNC and they will all be dealt with harshly and appropriately at the correct time to ensure that our program will not be compromised."

Following USA TODAY Sports' report about the parking citations last week, UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham released a statement saying that disciplinary measures would be taken "where the facts show mistakes in judgment and/or actions." Cunningham's statement did not mention Hairston by name but did reference recent media accounts.

"We will care about each individual but there will be serious actions taken that will fix these issues," Williams concluded in his statement. "I take pride in our values and how we have conducted ourselves for a long time here at Carolina and this time will pass but it will be dealt with strongly. "We are talking about a program that has been a model of success on and off the court and it will be again."

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Rachel Axon, a projects/enterprise reporter for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @RachelAxon.

Eric Prisbell, a national college basketball writer for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @EricPrisbell.